1969 Camaro Z/28 Identification

The Chevrolet Z/28 is genuinely a legend in its own time. Conceived by Chevrolet engineer Vince Piggins, the car was Chevy's entry into the new Trans-Am racing series in the mid-Sixties. Battling against the Mustang Boss 302, Mercury Cougar, AMX and other muscle cars, it won the Trans-Am Championship in 1969. Today, the street versions are highly prized by Camaro collectors and restorers. But there is a caveat—the really valuable examples must be numbers-matching and factory-stock.


By doing some simple research prior to searching for a '69 Z/28, you can avoid buying a vehicle that's been altered or—even worse—cloned. All '69 Z/28s were Sport Coupe body styles with the model number 12437 on the cowl tag. They were manufactured at either the Norwood, Ohio, or Los Angeles, California, assembly plants. No Z/28s were equipped with air conditioning, all were four-speeds and the name badge was derived from the Chevrolet RPO (regular production order) number, which was Z/28. A few were ordered with the very rare four-wheel disc-brake option, Code JL8. Another little-known fact is that the car could have been ordered with the body stripes deleted. Most buyers wanted these stripes, though—it was the visual clue that you had a very special Camaro.


Here are some important numbers and codes that must be present for a Z/28 to be verified as original. This is part of—but not all—the research you should do before spending $15,000-$25,000 for a '69 Z/28. Do it right, do it once and be happy with your purchase.

Cowl Tag
The small metal plate attached to the firewall is called the cowl tag. It has the body-style number (12437), the assembly plant, date of manufacture and the all-important X33 (without style trim group) or X77 (with style trim group) ID code. For cars with a spoiler, the code D80 will also appear, along with the interior and exterior trim codes. This tag shows the X33 and build-date code 05A, which translates to the first week of May. The NOR at the top right signifies the Norwood assembly plant.

Engine Code
The engine code is located on a machined pad on the passenger side of the block, just under the head. This stamped-in series of numbers sometimes contains part of the vehicle identification number as well as the engine code. All 1969 302 CID Z/28 engines were stamped with engine code DZ; any other code indicates that the engine isn't original. This is a very critical code: Having a replacement 350 small-block or big-block detracts from the car's desirability and value.